How to Learn Songs by Ear
Tired of searching for inaccurate chord charts and tabs on the internet? Training yourself to learn songs by ear is the most liberating thing you can do as a musician.
Why tabs and chord charts hold you back
When you read music, your eyes are doing the work, not your ears. This bypasses the musical part of your brain. By learning songs by ear, you internalize the music, remember it longer, and improve your overall musicianship.
The 3-Step Transcription Process
- Find the Bass (Root): The bass guitar usually plays the root note of the chord. Use your ear to find this single note on your instrument.
- Identify the Quality: Listen to the harmony above the bass. Is it Major (happy)? Minor (sad)? Dominant (bluesy)?
- Find the Melody: Use interval recognition to trace the distance between the melody notes.
How BananaTone helps
To execute step 2 and 3 quickly, you need a trained ear. Spend 10 minutes a day on BananaTone's Chord and Interval modes. When you go back to learning a song, you'll be amazed at how much clearer the music sounds.
Ready to practice?
BananaTone is a free, fast ear training app. No sign-up required — just open and start practicing.